Sunday, June 7, 2009

Matthew 6:6-8, A person must pray in private. Private means, finding a storage room (place of medication) where blessings are stored and then given to others and then replenished through prayer.

Understanding your life’s meaning and purpose? Being obedient to God’s will is the impetus for your actions. Your belief in God resonates in your work. Selflessness; having someone else’s interest in mind, less fortunate than you, , without malice, predetermined expectations, and without expecting reward in return of your gift, is paramount to your giving.

Alright! Everyone come in and settle down! The sooner that you have a seat and quiet down the sooner we can get you outa here!

Now! As we’ve mentioned to you this day would come for us to do some off the field work in preparation for the season.

I know no one wants to talk with a shrink but maybe you haven’t heard that playing in front of thousands of people can make you do some things that might cause you to act out of character.

We want to give you the tools and support you need to give you the best possible opportunity to be successful on and off of the field.

Some of you might even find this exercise useful in your lives away from baseball. So listen closely.

Please welcome from the University of California, Dr. Stephen Draeger a certified sports psychologist who’s going to talk to you about certain things you can do to mentally concentrate while under pressure.

Dr. Draeger!

Thank you! Yes, I know that you all are thinking’ what’s this got to do with hitting a fastball?

Well I’ll tell you that if you implement some of the things that I’m going to talk with you about in the next hour, you might just hit that fastball instead of striking out. What? Why the quizzical faces? Oh! You never strike out! Thank you for pointing that out to me. For all of those whom never strike out you’re free to leave!

Just as I thought everyone stays, listens and learns! Right?

Okay! Everyone move your seats to the outer wall. While at the wall remove your shoes and place them on top of your chair and return back to the space of which your chair was occupying.

Now while standing there, turn to face me. Shake out you legs, and you arms, roll you neck side to side, up and down.

Now I want you to squat right down on the floor.

Now spread out as to not crowd each other, but not to far apart from each other either. You’re going to need each others energy to help us maximize the effect.

While sitting, I want you to relax.

I want you so relaxed that some of you might even get accused of taking a nap. Yes, a nap!

And, you thought this session was going to be boring and worthless.

I sense that some of you are still a little tense. To better get you prepared, you must be relaxed. So, I want you all to lie on your backs, with your arms resting calmly on you laps.

Okay relax! Wiggle your toes, close your eyes, and breathe in and out. Take long breathes, in and out. Blow the bad air out of your wind pipes, and taking the good air in to your lungs.

Good! Now, I want you to think about a situation that’s very stressful. What immediately comes to your mind? Quickly! Everyone say it out loud all at once.

Good! Stop! Now, imagine there are 30,000 screaming fans hollering at the top of their lungs, and it’s the bottom of the ninth inning and your team is down by one run, but there are two men in scoring position, with two, outs. What’s even worse is if you loose this game you loose the championship. And you’re at your home park, with all of your friends and family in attendance, because you gave them tickets to see you play. And, oh! You haven’t had a particularly good game up to this point. As a matter of fact you’re error was the reason why your team was behind in the first place.

Feel the pressure? I see it on your faces as I walk around this room.

I see that some of you have been there before! Pressure is common. It builds fear inside of your stomach. It’s called butterflies. It’s called butterflies because it almost feels like your insides are flying around like a butterfly. The worse part, you never really know when they’re going to show up. All you know is; they usually show up at the worse possible times. Imagine that!

We’re going to discuss how we can try to control those unannounced butterflies, when they do show up.

When under pressure it’s paramount to stay calm and relaxed as you are now. You have to immediately imagine yourself as being successful maybe even being carried around the ball park on your teammates shoulder after winning the game because of your heroics.

This must be your immediate thought, because you cannot allow a negative thought to enter into your head, at that pressure moment. When you do, those thoughts ironically end up in the pit of your stomach and the forefront of your mind.

Remember this thought has nothing to do with ego, skill, or macho manhood crap! This is about mind control techniques.

Okay! Now that we’re calm we still have to perform. This is where we must force ourselves to concentrate at a high level. This is in spite of all the thoughts that creep up inside of our minds at that moment. Like those thoughts about, your girl friend breaking up with you, your paycheck coming up short, the coach is telling you that you were dogging it when you were in the field. You know the usual!

All these thoughts along with the fans yelling and the pressure of the moment sounds like a marching band at a football game going off inside of your freakin head!

Through all of this you must figure out how to concentrate on the situation at hand. Surely you cannot ask for time out and take an hour for meditation, to “get your head right”!

No! But, I can teach you how to; at the close of your eyes, cause your mind to go into an accelerated meditative state.

Now, that I’ve gotten your attention. I see the curiosity on your faces. That’s good!

Let’s take another deep breathe, and listen to my voice! (In a longer cadence) Focus only on my voice. Nothing else! Clear your mind of all thoughts. Concentrate deeply on my voice!

I want you to imagine yourself looking down upon yourself lying there nice and relaxed. Look at that picture!

Now, look at you head. Imagine your brain having four evenly separate boxes. In those four boxes we’re going to put something special inside of them.

The something special were going to put inside of those four boxes are happy thoughts; not of things that you’ve yet to experience but of things that have already occurred in your life. These things made you happy, gave you joy and were very positive. As a matter of fact when you think about them you feel very warm inside. Warm with joy!

We’re going to call these boxes your happy places!

First, let’s concentrate on just these happy things the thoughts of your favorite vacation; where did you go? What did you see? Who did you go with? Was it you family, your wife, girlfriend, your kids? What was special about the place that you visited? Was it peaceful, beautiful, great weather, great and the sights unique? Why did that place have an ever lasting special meaning for you?

Okay, now let’s place that thought right in the middle of that first box in the corner of your mind put the lid on and lock it away until later when we need it.

Now, let’s think about the time you felt the most loved. Was it by your girlfriend, parents, maybe your pet? How did you feel? Let’s lock that thought away the same as the first one.

In the next box we’re going to place the thought of the most successful game you ever had in your life. What did you do? Did you have 4 hits, or 3 home runs, throw a no hitter, make a spectacular catch, or all of the above? Think about what you did differently that day? Did you eat differently, leave for the ball park earlier, or maybe even later than usual? Did you have a special meal or the same? How did that game make you feel when it was over? Did it cause a surreal moment? Were you totally exhausted from the maximum effort; knowing that you gave it your best on that day!

I can tell you all can hear the roar of the crowd chanting your names in your heads right now. Let’s place those thought in your special box and lock it up.

In that last box, were going to think of that thing, that IT that makes you unique. What is that one special thing that allows you to be in that position, with the opportunity to become the hero in the first place? The one thing that people say most about you that’s you find the most endearing and complimentary? The one thing that defines your character and persona, gives you strength, and when you hear it said about you it makes you feel like you’re 10 feet tall! Let’s fill our last box with those thought and lock it up tight with the others.

Now that we’ve filled our four boxes up with special thoughts, let’s carry those boxes in our arms, upstairs to the attic of your minds.

Why the attic? Because, the attic is where we store things; right? And when we store things in that attic, we usually don’t think of them until we need them for something.

Well, we’re going to store our boxes away for those times when we need them the most. Times of difficult circumstances and pressure!

Now, let’s envision those four boxes lying there, side by side on the floor of that attic. Just sitting there with those shinny locks on them, waiting to one day opened again.

Remember gentleman! Only you have the key to open them again. Only you know what’s in those special boxes. And when you open these boxes you’ll find noting but happiness awaiting you from its contents, for you placed those thoughts there from a special place, with care and love, success and adoration and most of all strength and character. That’s power from within!

Unleashing the greatness within oneself can help overcome the biggest obstacle, even if it seems the odds ore insurmountable.

With your special boxes in an eyes blink you can cause combustion of stored energy powerful enough for you to overcome any temporary state of exhumed fear, caused by that pressure moment.

Feel it! Feel the power! Feel the control over your thought! Feel your outer body visions of your calm and controlled demeanor! Internalize those positive thoughts, and put aside the negative conversation that your hearts having with your mind; and become strong. Now dominate the moment!

Wow! That meditative journey I traveled even though directed by the doctor to concentrate on a specific scenario that we’d most likely encounter during the course of battle caused a more broad application to the concept he delivered.

The deep meditative state conjured up a more special place than what my attic could comprehend.

If an earthly being wanted to talk to God Himself to gain knowledge and explanation about the things of controversy that have occurred in this world; which person would be most qualified to ask those questions? You, I, Larry King? No! I think Oprah Winfrey!

Oprah Winfrey is a person who’s transcended cultural lines, broken down social barriers, accepted and recognized around the world as a person who can get down to the reality of situations that effect the most common person.

Having made the determination, in my mind Oprah was THAT person! Even though I subconsciously could hear the doctor’s voice in the background, consciously my concentration was on having my Oprah Moment.

Good afternoon ladies and gentleman! We have here special for you the creator of Man, of earth, the flowers, the birds, the sky and all beautiful things.

He’s the all knowing, all seeing, he’s everywhere at all times. He’s in your hearts, in your minds, and in your thoughts, as a matter of fact he knows what you’re thinking before you even think it. He’s the person that you’ve been waiting for all of your life! He’s God himself here today!

God, first of all I must say that you’re not all like I imagined you would be. You look like a regular person.Of course that would make sense because you made man in your own image. But, the way that most of us have envisioned you is a spirit that’s bigger than life, so powerful that just being in your mere presence would cause great fear!

But, of course that doesn’t make much sense because you wouldn’t want a person to fear you; but embrace you and accept your open arms of love.

I also, recognize that you look very healthy and vibrant, not like a person that’s been alive from the very beginning of time.

Finally, not to ramble, but this moment marks the most special interview that I could ever have in my career. I’m honored that you chose me to provide you the opportunity to give your message in your own words.

God, with that introduction, I must admit that there’s major concern and chaos occurring in the world, almost to the point that many people believe that you’re coming to end the world; Armageddon. I hope your not here to make THAT announcement!

Assuming, that’s not the case, I do have some questions that I’d like to hear your answers to:

Was Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina really your doing?

Was 911 Holy War against America?

Why is the United States at war with Iraq?

Why do people struggle with their faith in you?

Is Satan stronger than ever? If so why?

Why are there sexual predators?

Why do little children get molested? Aren’t they the most cherished of your creations, thus warrant the most protection from harm?

What happening with the black family today?

Why don’t black American families stay together?

Why do black American lack leadership today?

Why do so many black American young men end up on the streets, selling drugs, using drugs, lacking direction, disrespecting society, rebelling against authority, and lacking responsibility for their actions?

Why are black Americans so unhealthy? Why do black Americans die of cancer, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes at such an alarming rate?

Why does racism still exist?

Is there such of a thing called a natural born leader?

What’s success by YOUR standards?

What’s happening with love between men & women?

Why do corporations steal from their employees’ pension funds?

Why do women suffer so much pain during pregnancy and giving birth to new life? Was it really because of Adam and Eve?

If Adam and Eve were husband and wife and their children mated each other therefore creating the human race, is the inbred factor the reason for the worlds dysfunctional behavior?

Why is there hunger in a world full of surplus?

Is the world really going to come to an end through our own doing, from things like global warming, and nuclear bombs? If so, why won’t you stop it?

Why is there a stronger belief that there’s hell on earth than heaven above? Furthermore, why doe’s Hell feel more realistic than Heaven?

When blessed people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Mother Theresa call for harmony and peace among fellow man, that they’re considered impractical and radical by the majority?

Why can’t your angels who’ve been blessed by your hands to deliver your message of obedience to the Commandments and to the Covenant of Jesus Christ to your flock cannot seem to penetrate bureaucracy of the world’s government to instill to the people priority of faith versus governments power and influence?

Why do people have to get suffer near death experiences to hear your words clearly?

Why do send messages thru people like the Homeless Man to talk to your children?

What is your plan for us really?

Awakened by the vibrato of the Professors insistent voice about controlling our inner-self I opened my eyes to more than just the room.

I saw that my journey had been one of learning through experiences, guided by individuals who’d seen something special in my eyes that told them I could be unique and radical, but ground in earthy values.

God blessed me with a protective layer of people who’d ensure I stayed out of Hell Land, but more importantly maintained a path of success.

Success defined by how I lived my life conscientious of others wellbeing self improvement and happiness. The effective operation of the premise of the systematization of our life’s process consists of decisions one has to make everyday, of which decisions; if handled improperly could negatively alter ones life, however if properly made could become a positive life altering decision.

The success becomes, when the intersection of ones innate virtues, spirituality, character capital, intellectual capacity, emotional command, humble persona, permits one to travel life’s journey reaping the benefits reserved by God, on their behalf.

The by-product of that success is often financial reward, respect even power and influence. But, Gandhi and Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama each very successful weren’t know as wealthy monetarily.

The question remains, does money define ones success, or is ones cause and fight for righteousness and the respect that’s gleaned from ones efforts?

About Me

After growing up in Berkeley , California and eventually traveling a journey which took the me through becoming a professional athlete, I've enjoyed many years of experience in the corporate world with various positions primarily in business development, an along the way as an entrepreneur.
I have a family with a wife and (2) kids. I try everyday to be not only a loving husband but a father to.
I recently completed a 3 year journey of writing a book CAPTURE A DREAM based on my experiences in my life's journey of major misteps and failures, some historical and contemporary topical issues in our society relative to making me the person that I am today.
With this story, I'll share from the heart my experiences amidst many environments and adversities in order to lift others to know that there is always hope when courage is applied. Family roots served as an impetus to my debut book project which brings readers a glimpse of generations past.
I'll be sharing excerpts of the book with you on my blog. I hope that you find joy, encouragement, understanding, and of course inspiration from my messages! Enjoy!